This Team Must Be Pretty Good.....

For their best player to suck so bad.

If Big Papi, Manny, Pujols, Howard or Vlad were to suck as bad as Alex has over the last week, I doubt they're able to avoid a six game West Coast sweep, much less go 2-4 with a chance to win every series. The only team I can see surviving with their big star struggling are Mets and Beltran. Their lineup is balanced enough to get through some games with Carlos scuffling.

But I can't see anyone winnning it all with their best player stinking it up through October. Get it, Alex? This shit has got to stop.

He looks as bad as Giambi did early last year. Taking pitches down the pike, almost hoping to get walked. And there are no breaks upcoming with the Tiggers and Twinkies in New York for six games. I'm hoping he breaks out of it this week because it's getting painful to watch his at-bats. I'm squeamish like it's a bad horror flick or something. Call it Evil Dead: The Bronx.

Bernie turning back the clock along with Jeter being Jeter was enough to hold off the Halos in spite of Proctor and Farnsworth rather giving natures. But the way we touched up their starting pitching this weekend, we should have won that series. A timely hit here or there, we sweep and win the season series for the first time in four years. That team is not that good.

I agree with Torre in his assessment that the team was running on fumes after the Red Sox series. That probably played a part in Alex's struggles along with his illness. But sleep is the cousin of death this time of year. They have a chance to put the Sox away, secure a division title and a playoff spot in the next couple of weeks. They also have a chance to send a message to two potential playoff opponents. They miss Santana and Verlander next week, so there's no reason why they can't win both series. 4-2 is more than reasonable to expect out of this homestand.

You think everyone on the South Side of Chitown isn't a Yankee fan this week?

Speaking of Chicago, I almost forgot to write about my latest visit to the Windy City. I knew that I was going to be in Indy for a conference a week and a half ago...so me being the diamond junkie I am, I looked to see who within driving distance had a game going. The baseball gods smiled upon me when I saw the Cards were facing the Cubbies at Wrigley Aug. 18-20th. So I decided to call in some favors and get some seats for my third visit to Friendly Confines. Cost me a few bucks, but I figure it was more than worth it.


While it wasn't my first visit to the North Side, it was my first Cards-Cubs game. I figure that since there was no way I could be at Fenway for the Yanks-Sox five game set, the next best thing is Cubbies-Cards, right? Before I get into my answer, let me say, that every fan of the game must visit Wrigley at least once in their lives. After this trip, I might make it an annual event like Camden Yards. It's hard to believe that there's somewhere more fun before, during and after a game than Wrigley Field. The surrounding bars and restaurants in the area are packed before and after the game. The park truly is the Friendly Confines. Only Fenway can hope to match the feeling of intimacy you feel when you walk into the park. It's the closest thing to a little league park, and I mean that in a good way, that you'll get in the majors. Nothing comes close. Nothing. Outside of the obstructed view seats, there isn't a bad seat in the house. And even they aren't that bad. The fans and the staff are some of the friendliest in the majors. And despite it being one of the whitest parks in the majors, I never felt uncomfortable one moment I was there.

As for the the actual baseball, well, that's another story. I can see why the Tribune folks could care less if the Cubs are competitive. That Park is a friggin cash-cow. People come for the experience and the party atmosphere. Very few actually give a damn about the game. They're getting crushed by their arch-rivals 11-3 and you would think the score was 2-1. It's sort of sad because if you decided put a competitive product on the field every year, their fanbase would multiply by 1000. It would be harder to get tickets for a game at Wrigley than anywhere else in the majors. And that includes Yankee Stadium and Fenway. Combine a winner with that park and neighborhood, they become the Yankees Midwest.

Right now, though, I don't want any of this garbage about how this is the best rivalry in baseball. Not even close. Yankees-Red Sox is the best rivalry in the game and one of the five best in all of sports. Name me one game or series in the Cubs-Cards that had the stakes and dramas of 2003-2004 ALCS' or the 1978 Playoff game? Name one. After Yankees-Red Sox game, I can't imagine Sox fans coming into Yankee bar en masse and partying with pinstripes. Would never happen. I got more grief wearing my Charles Woodson Michigan Jersey than any of the Cards fans in red regalia. I understand that I forgot that I was in Big Ten-Notre Dame Country and Wolverine blue gets no love in the Windy City (Even the usher gave me grief)but why am I getting more grief than some hick wearing a Pujols jersey?

Thankfully, the North Side vixens came around and realized that a baseball deity was in their midst.

They're a good people, Darth
They just need a light to show them the way
For this reason, I have sent them you, my only son...

Maybe there's something to missionary work after all....heh, heh, heh...Class is in session, beyotches. The Dark Lord is all about higher learning...

Hey YDB!! You know who you are. Start practicing this gasface this week. Get ready to bow down, youngling....